A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians

A Novel

By: H. G. Parry

Narrated by: Andrew Kingston

A sweeping tale of revolution and wonder in a world not quite like our own, A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is a genre-defying story of magic, war, and the struggle for freedom in the early modern world.
It is the Age of Enlightenment -- of new and magical political movements, from the necromancer Robespierre calling for revolution in France, to the weather mage Toussaint L'Ouverture leading the slaves of Haiti in their fight for freedom, to the bold new Prime Minister William Pitt weighing the legalization of magic amongst commoners in Britain and abolition throughout its colonies overseas.
But amidst all of the upheaval of the early modern world, there is an unknown force inciting all of human civilization into violent conflict. And it will require the combined efforts of revolutionaries, magicians, and abolitionists to unmask this hidden enemy before the whole world falls to darkness and chaos.
For more from H. G. Parry, check out The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep.

Critic reviews

"A rich, sprawling epic full of history and magic, Declaration is Jonathan Strange with international politics and vampires. I loved it."—Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January

"A witty, riveting historical fantasy....Parry has a historian's eye for period detail and weaves real figures from history-including Robespierre and Toussaint L'Ouverture-throughout her poetic tale of justice, liberation, and dark magic. This is a knockout."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Impeccably researched and epically written, this novel is a stellar start to what promises to be a grand new fantasy series."—Booklist (starred review)

""I absolutely loved it. It held my attention from the beginning and throughout. It's a beautiful tapestry of words, a combination of carefully observed and researched history and a well-thought-out and fascinating system of magic. An absolute delight to read; splendid and fluid, with beautiful and complex use of language."—Genevieve Cogman, author of The Invisible Library

"Fans of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell will be enchanted by this sprawling epic of revolution and dark magic."—Locus

"It's no simple task to wrangle fifteen years of tumult in a few hundred pages, but Parry manages it with a deft hand. Her alternate history puts a human face on the titans of the past, while weaving in supernatural elements that add a whole new dimension. I stayed up well past my bedtime to find out what happens next."
—Marie Brennan, author of the Memoirs of Lady Trent series

"Impressively intricate; fans of the magic-and-history of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell will be delighted."—Alexandra Rowland, author of A Conspiracy of Truths

disappointing

I loved the politics and intrigue of this, and what a strong start the novel had. so much of it was right up my alley. but as the plot threads started to come together near the end of the book... won't spoil it exactly, but everything can be blamed on one big bad evil guy, and it's not the guy you think. and the BBEG doesn't have interesting motivation, there's one (1) traumatic event mentioned for him, but it's not motivating, exactly.

robespierre's story was great, though. a+. probably the best part of the novel? the fact that he won't be in the next one isn't the *only* reason I won't continue, or even the biggest one. and I don't fault this one for ending where it did, except that it's a cliffhanger for everyone else. but I'm not compelled by their stories the way I was by Robespierre's.

In the Same Vein as League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

An astounding novel that combines real people and events from history and mixes them with fantastic and logical magic.

Great Book!

I loved this book and I really loved the unique story. The different perspectives of the same story helped to get a wider picture of the world. I would love to read more books in this setting.

history lesson

A history lesson that should have just stayed a history lesson. The plot and the magic system were brushed over in favor of matching historical events.

good as a retelling

i wish the true antagonist was less influential in the events. it's too easy to just have one bad dude be responsible for all the evil of the robespierre and pitt